Which of the following would invariably happen in a country, when the demographic dividend has begun to operate?
- 1.The number of illiterate people will decrease.
- 2.The ratio of very old and very young will decrease for a while.
- 3.Population growth rate will quickly stabilize.
Select the correct answer using the code given below.
Answer & explanation
Answer: (b) 2 only
By the passage’s own definition, the demographic dividend means “the relative ratio of very young and very old will, for a while, be on the decline”. Rising literacy and a stable population growth rate are not stated as automatic results.
- ✗ 1. The passage says the benefits depend on the quality of the workforce and calls for “bringing back the importance of education” — literacy does not rise automatically.
- ✓ 2. This is the definition itself: the ratio of very young and very old will “for a while, be on the decline”.
- ✗ 3. Stabilisation of the population growth rate is not mentioned at all.
Remember · ‘Invariably’ admits only what follows by definition; benefits the passage makes conditional are out.
Question and answer: UPSC's official GS Paper II (2022, Series A) — paper ↗ · answer key ↗. Explanation: Minimalist IAS, checked 30 Sept 2026 (how we verify). ·